FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a support apparatus for use with a radiation image information processing system which reads radiation image signals from a sheet-like storage type phosphor, subjects the same to certain image processing and displays the processed radiation image signals on a photographic film or on a CRT or the like.
In recent years, radiation image information systems have been widespread particularly in the medical field, which are each for recording/reproducing a radiation transmission image of an object such as a human body using a sheet (hereinafter called "storage type phosphor sheet" or merely "sheet") having a layer composed of a storage type phosphor. The radiation image information processing systems have been disclosed in a number of patent applications filed by the present applicant, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 55-12429, 55-103472, 55-116340, 55-87970, etc.
When a certain phosphor is exposed to a radiation (such as X-rays, .alpha.-rays, .beta.-rays, .gamma.-rays, electron beams, or ultraviolet rays), the phosphor stores a part of the energy of the radiation. When the phosphor exposed to the radiation is subsequently exposed to stimulating rays such as visible light, the phosphor emits accelerated light in proportion to the stored energy of the radiation. The phosphor exhibiting such a property is referred to as "storage type phosphor". In the radiation image information processing system employing the storage type phosphor sheet, the image information about the radiation-transmitted image of an object such as a human body is temporarily stored in a storage type phosphor layered on a sheet (this is subsequently expressed as "the image information is stored in the sheet"), and then the sheet is scanned with stimulating rays such as a laser beam, so that the sheet emits accelerated light. The emitted light is photoelectrically read to produce an information signal (hereinafter called merely "image signal") representative of the radiation-transmitted image. After the image signal have been subjected to certain signal processing, the image signal is displayed as a visible image on a recording medium such as a photographic photosensitive material or on a CRT or the like.
In addition, in the system of this type, it is necessary to carry out a relatively fine adjustment of the state of operation of the system upon installation of the radiation image information processing system. This is because it is required to adjust the system in such a way that the quality in image becomes a desired state in the image visual-recognition analytical work of the conditions of environment at a position where the system is installed or in the image visual-recongnition analytical work using a recording medium or a device with a CRT or the like.
For purposes of adjustment of the system at the time the working for its installation is made, it is practiced to photographically record in practice, for example, an artificial body formed with a human bone or the like upon installation of the radiation image information processing system and then adjust the system based on the recorded image information. It has also been required to perform the working for the installation of the system within a short period of time. Thus, there is a potential problem that inconvenience such as increase in a burden on the economy for provision of servicemen as well as the provision of a large number of servicemen takes place.
When it is desired to record such information on the sheet or to reproduce it on the CRT or the like, it is required to properly keep the state of fine operation of the system. Accordingly, the structure of the support for the system has been kept in order to assist the support of system functions. Under this type of support structure of the system functions, when a fault occurs in the radiation image information processing system, a serviceman or the like inspects the system, and repairs the defective device on site if possible. If it is found to be hard to ascertain the fault on site and the repair for its recovery cannot be performed on site, then a part of a device related to the position where the fault has occurred is replaced with a new one.
However, the storage of chronological data regarding the system failure often tends to be insufficient on the side of the user in the conventional radiation image information processing system. There is also a case where a film on which improper images representing chronological data concerning the system failure or the like have already been recorded is lost. In such a case, it therefore becomes impossible to analyze the cause of the fault, thereby causing a problem.
Furthermore, the visible image obtained in the above-described manner is subjected to a diagnosis by a doctor or the like. However, the condition of image processing is generally different in terms of positions of a part to be diagnosed or a hospital or the like. For example, when one attempts to change parameters for each photographic recording and output the result, the operation of establishing the parameters not only becomes extremely cumbersome but also becomes required to establish the same with a considerable skill. In the case where the condition of the image processing is established once and an image has been recorded on a photographic film, the reestablishment of the image processing condition after the photographic recording is performed again is practically impossible because of an excessive exposure of radiation to a patient.
As an alternative to the above case, it may also be feasible to consider a case where after the radiation image obtained by photographically recording an object is temporarily stored in a recording medium such as a hard disk, a serviceman or the like adjusts the image processing condition and then establishes the image processing condition when the optimal image is obtained. However, this case gives, to the user, inconvenience that the condition of the image processing cannot arbitrarily be adjusted.
When it is desired to monitor the state of operation of the system in the above-described system, for example, when one attempts to test the state of operation of the system at the time a fault has occurred, the state of its operation can heretofore be tested only within the range of processing capability of a known control system in the above-described system. Accordingly, time required to find out a position where the fault has occurred needs a long period of time, thereby causing a drawback.